Tahoe Sunset

Dithers was in his apartment again, looking around him and trying to figure out what to do with himself before bed. He was beginning to dread being at home. Kaylee would be busy playing the game and would end up getting killed if she talked to him online. Dithers began researching online social forums for people, things that weren’t games but rather simutronic setups like a restaurant or bar but simulated. They had been fun the few times other ‘World of Realcraft’ players had dragged him to one, but Dithers also knew they could be quite territorial. People outside the group of friends usually got the cold shoulder if it was even public access at all. The ones that were open to strangers were usually dominated by a select few that always seemed to mysteriously drown out the rest of the crowd. A lot of bands would create their own private theatre to be heard in, players gathering together and playing their simulated instruments for a plugged in crowd. The shows cost money and were usually short though. Bands tended to focus for months on releasing one perfect song rather than entire albums, since the content was downloaded either way. In the end, Dithers downloaded a program called ‘Tahoe at Sunset’ and set his body to the usual jumping jack routine. There was a cold wind and I sat down on the lone dock over the crystal clear waters. The Lake was supposedly thick and green now from years of fertilizers seeping in, but with the program I could date it back through time. All the way to before men had even set foot on the world. “Change season to Fall,” I ordered and the wind grew a bit colder. The sky was red and I kicked at the waves and ice until I was ready for sleep.